True Blood season 5 just saw one of its characters leave behind Bon Temps, with nothing left to really bring him back from Alaska. Was that it for Hoyt?

Season 5 Spoilers

Hoyt hasn’t had it easy lately, from what’s going on with Jessica and Jason to becoming a fangbanger and then almost getting killed. But has that all changed for him with his decision to go to Alaska for a new job? Well, things may be safer for him there. After all, he won’t be dealing with everything that goes on in Bon Temps. But will he be back? Jim Parrack told TV Guide, “The real honesty is that I don’t know. I know that [executive producer] Alan Ball told me that they didn’t want to kill him, that Hoyt’s going away because Hoyt’s had enough. But Alan was adamant that one of the reasons they wanted to do that was to leave him the option to have a return.” After everything Hoyt had been through, killing him would have just been too cruel. Because they didn’t kill him off, they can bring him back at any time. Considering how slowly time moves on this show, unless the job really doesn’t work out, it would probably be later rather than sooner, but anything could happen.

However, if he does return, things will certainly be different. While it’s looking like he won’t be back in True Blood season 5, he could always return in season 6. But if he does, he’s returning to a town where he doesn’t remember Jason or JessicaÂ—and there’s no telling what he would find if he did return (Jason’s going to be in some serious trouble in the next episode, as seen in the “Sunset” promo below). While it was sad to see Hoyt go, it may be what’s best for him and is likely what saves him. He couldn’t go on like he was, and as tragic as the scene was, having Jessica glamour him was something that he needed to be done.